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He moved here more than 30 years ago and decided it was a good place to set up his jewelery business. His company has since grown to be valued at more than $20 million.

"It's the culture, the mixed culture of India and the Middle East," Patni says on why he decided to settle in Dubai. "This is the more important for us. And it is very close to India."

As his native country awaits the outcome of parliamentary elections, Patni is watching closely even though he doesn't have a vote.

Patni says he sends a huge portion of his earnings home for his family, business and for investments.

He's far from alone in this endeavor.

Krishnan Ramachandran runs a wealth management group in Dubai that manages $400 million worth of assets belonging to Indians living in the UAE. The majority is re-invested in India.

"We cater to a wide range of clients starting from the person who's at the bottom of the pyramid to somebody at the top of the pyramid," said Ramachandran.

"It's always the aspiration of any expat Indian coming to this region to save and send money, as much as possible, back home," he added."On an average the target is between 40% to 50% of their earnings here."

That's because most of his clients intend to go back one day, he says.

One such client is construction worker, Mukesh Sharma.

"I'm in Dubai for the last 10 years," Sharma said. "We keep transferring the money, you know to exchanges and all. I plan to go after maybe two, three years.

"That's my plan right now. Then I'll go and settle down (back in India)."

Remittances from overseas Indians like Sharma amounted to $71 billion last year, according to the World Bank, more than any other country in the world.

That gives Dubai's Indian ex-pats tremendous economic clout in the Gulf emirate and back home -- even without a vote in the elections.